1

Youth U10–U14 Technical/Tactical Training

1 v. 1 tactics: Defender behind attacker

A complete practice session for ages U10–U14, focusing on 1 v. 1 tactics, dribbling and finishing
by Horst Hrubesch, head coach, German U18 boys’ national team

All soccer players have to be able to dribble past their opponents. But many players, especially
attackers, often find themselves in a very different situation: They’ve just received a pass with
their back to the goal, and now an opponent is attacking them from behind while they’re trying to
control the ball. In this training session, we’ll simulate some of these situations as they actually
occur in front of the goal. The object for attackers is to safely control the ball and turn to face the
goal as quickly as possible. The session’s true focus, though, is on teaching defenders how to deal
with this situation. It’s especially important for them to be able to attack 1 v. 1 without fouling,
since free kicks in front of the goal are always excellent scoring opportunities.

WARM-UP
Warm-up 1: Diamond dribbling 1
• Two players from opposite corners dribble onto the field.
• The coach calls out a side, and each player dribbles around the
center cone on that side.
• They then pass back to their starting positions, and the first two
players from the other two cones dribble onto the field, etc.
Sequence: Field 2
• Two wall passers stand at opposite corners of the field.
• The rest of the players line up at the other two corners. The first one
in each group has a ball.
• The coach calls out a side, and each ball carrier passes to the wall
Left! passer on that side. The wall passers drop the balls back.
• The original passers take the balls across the field, faking on the
way, and then pass to the player at the cone.
• The next two ball carriers control the ball, and the coach calls out a
new side, etc.

Setup Tips and corrections

• On Field 1, players should be careful not to dribble too close to the
• Mark out two diamonds with a cone in the center of each.
cone; otherwise there won’t be room for both of them.
• Divide players into two teams, one for each field.
• On both fields, the coach can indicate sides by holding up different-
Sequence: Field 1 colored vests.
• Players line up at the corners of the field with one ball each.
 Success in Soccer 4/11

Youth U10–U14
gREAT training guides FOR YOUTH COACHES

MODERN YOUTH TRAINING: THE BOOK

T­ his ­book ­shows ­you how to run age-ap­pro­pri­ate prac­tices and
match­es for ­players ­between the ag­es of ­five and 12. The com­
pre­hen­sive train­ing sec­tion pro­vides spe­cif­ic rec­om­men­da­tions
for at­trac­tive, ­child-orient­ed ex­er­cis­es ­that ­build a sol­id ath­let­ic
foun­da­tion ­while teach­ing the bas­ic tech­niques and com­mu­ni­
cat­ing an ap­pre­cia­tion for the ­game of soc­cer. ­With plenty of
age-ap­pro­pri­ate ­small-sid­ed ­games and sam­ple prac­tice ses­
sions, ­both in­door and out­door, ­this ­book is a ­gold ­mine for ev­ery
­youth c­ oach! 336 pag­es, $39.99 / £ 24.99 / 31.50 €

To order, please visit us on the web at www.successinsoccer.com, or con­tact us directly: NORTH &
SOUTH AMERICA: Success in Soccer, tel. (888) 828-4263 (U.S. only) or (505) 889-3680, fax (505) 889-
3680; UK: Forsport Ltd, tel. 0208 658 2007, fax 0208 658 1314; ALL OTHER COUNTRIES: Phi­lipp­ka-Sport­
ver­lag, tel. +49 251 23005 11, fax +49 251 23005 99

MODERN YOUTH TRAINING DVD SERIES

An outstanding set for youth coaches, with age-specific training
tips and complete sample practice sessions for each age level.

DVD 1: Ages 5–6 102 min., $29.99

DVD 2: Ages 6–8 104 min., $29.99
DVD 3: Ages 8–12 94 min., $29.99

Special offer: Buy all three DVDs as a set for just $74.99!

To order (North & South America only), con­tact SUC­CESS IN

SOC­CER: tel. (888) 828-4263 (U.S. only) or (505) 889-3680;
fax (505) 889-3680; web: www.successinsoccer.com

YOUR ULTIMATE COACHING EDUCATION RESOURCE

tel. (888) 828-4263 (U.S. only) or (505) 889-3680; fax (505) 889-3680; web: www.successinsoccer.com
3
Youth U10–U14 Technical/Tactical Training

1 v. 1 tactics: Defender behind attacker

WARM-UP
Warm-up 2: Diamond dribbling 2
each group dribbles around the cone on that side and onto the field.
• He then dribbles around the center cone and passes to the next
player on his team, who starts on the coach’s next signal.
Sequence: Field 2
• Two teams line up at opposite corners of the field.
• Play begins when the coach calls out a side: The first player from
each group dribbles onto the field, around the center cone and then
around the cone on the designated side.
• He then passes to the next player on his team.
Variations
Right!
• After dribbling around the designated cone, players juggle the ball
five times before passing to the next player.
• Hold a competition between the teams on each field: Which one can
finish the sequence first?
Tips and corrections
Setup • The coach can also call out one side for both fields at the same
• Setup and teams are the same as in the previous activity. time. In this case, the command applies to all players for the entire
Sequence: Field 1 round.
• Two teams line up at opposite corners of the field. • Give players plenty of time to rest between rounds.
• Play begins when the coach calls out a side: The first player from

main ACTIVITY
Main activity 1: 1 v. 1 stations 1
Sequence: Field 1
• One passer stands on the goal line, another at the corner beside it.
• Pair each attacker with a defender from the opposing team.
• One pair takes the field; the rest line up beside the goal.
• The passer at the corner cone does a medium-high throw-in to the
attacker, who tries to control the ball with the defender behind him.
• He then tries to turn around and finish on the goal. He can also
pass to the passer on the goal line.
• The defender tries to win the ball and pass it to the goal line.
Sequence: Field 2
• One player stands between the goal lines and acts as a passer.
• Pair each attacker with a defender from the opposing team.
• One pair takes the field; the rest line up beside the goal.
• The passer does a throw-in to the attacker, who tries to get around
the defender behind him and score on the goal.
• The defender tries to win the ball and attack on either goal line.
Setup
Tips and corrections
• On Field 1, mark out a goal line opposite a standard goal with
goalkeeper. • Defenders should pressure the attacker as soon as he receives,
staying on top of him but not running into him and fouling him.
• On Field 2, mark out two goal lines opposite a mini goal without
goalkeeper. • Because this exercise is so intense, players should be rotated off
the field if the attacker hasn’t scored within 15–20 seconds.
• Divide players into two teams, one for each field.
 Success in Soccer 4/11 4

main ACTIVITY
Main activity 2: 1 v. 1 stations 2
plays 1 v. 1 to finish on the goal.
• To create a new situation, the attacker can pass once to the other
passer.
• The defender tries to win the ball and counterattack on the goal line.
Sequence: Field 2
• Basic sequence is the same as in the previous activity, except now
the attacker dribbles onto the field from the endline, pursued by the
defender, and passes to the passer.
• The passer drops the ball back, and the attacker tries to get around
the defender behind him and score on the goal.
• The defender tries to win the ball and counterattack on either of the
goal lines.
Tips and corrections
• On each field, the situation is similar to the one in the previous ac-
tivity. Coaches should make extensive corrections on Field 1 while
Setup allowing players on Field 2 to practice with minimal interference.
• Setup and teams are the same as in the previous activity. Have the groups switch fields after a little while.
• On both fields, attackers and defenders should switch roles regu-
Sequence: Field 1 larly, and passers should rotate as well.
• Basic sequence is the same as in the previous activity, except now • Alternatively, attacker and defender only switch roles if the de-
the passer at the corner plays a ground ball to the attacker, who fender succeeds in counterattacking and scoring.

Conclusion
7 v. 7 with two-touch minimum
Sequence
• Teams play 7 v. 7 on the field.
• Attackers are not allowed to pass directly in the opposition’s half:
Each player must take at least two touches.
Variations
• Only one team is subject to the two-touch rule.
• Players are not allowed to pass back from the opposition’s half to
their own.
Tips and corrections
• Integrating the concepts of this session into a relatively free-form
game can be difficult. Here, the touch restriction on attackers
makes it relatively easy for defenders to attack the ball carrier
1 v. 1 as soon as the ball is passed into their half.
• A secondary objective for defenders is to outnumber opponents
near the ball.
Setup
• Mark out a field with two standard goals on each endline and a
keeper in each goal.
• Mark out a centerline.
• Divide players into two teams.